City Approves New Low-Income Senior Housing

The city has approved a new low-income senior housing development in Northeast Petaluma, a project community advocates say is badly needed to deal with a rapidly increasing senior population in Sonoma County.

The 50-unit Kellgren Apartments, named after Pastor Timothy Kellgren, will be built at 855 Wood Sorrel Drive, east of North McDowell Boulevard just north of Sunrise Parkway.

The development is one of two projects for low-income seniors that will be built over the next five years by (PEP) Housing.

“If you look at the projections for senior housing, they are increasing,” said Mary Stompe, executive director of PEP Housing. “As baby boomers age, there are more and more folks that need senior housing and a good percentage of them are below 50 percent the federal poverty line.”

The number of people over 60 is rapidly increasing and is projected to skyrocket in the near future, according to the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging. Seniors aged 85 and older are estimated to increase by more than 250 percent by 2040, according to the group, something that’s come to be known as the “silver tsunami.”

Because people are living longer, the savings they were counting on to take care of them in retirement are often not enough. Without savings or pensions, such as the kind afforded to government employees, many elderly find themselves in an impossible situation, trying to survive on Social Security payments that average $870 a month, Stompe said.

Another important aspect of low-income senior housing is the layout that encourages residents to interact with one another, more so if they lived in their own home.

“Low-income housing gives people an opportunity for socialization,” said Elece Hempel, executive director of that offers programs such as Meals on Wheels and counseling to seniors in Petaluma. “So many seniors become isolated so that component is huge.”

Kellgren Apartments will feature common areas, including a community room, gardens and horseshoe pits. Another important aspect is keeping seniors in the communities where they grew up or worked in, Hempel said.

“It’s valuable to keep the people who lived here, who would otherwise not be able to stay here,” she said.

Because the project depends on federal funding, it will be at least a year before it breaks ground.